User Reviews

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95

WindowsGame Chronicles

If you liked Tropico you'll love Tropico 2: Pirate Cove. It's like the developers read my review and fixed everything I complained about in the first game. City management fans, gamers looking for something with originality, or people who can appreciate a well-designed game are all advised to check it out.

These are relatively minor problems however, and overall we're delighted with how Tropico 2 has turned out. Any fan of management games is bound to enjoy the game, and it's a definite candidate for causing some very, very late nights in front of your PC screen. Graphics whores will inevitably be put off by the old school look and feel of the title, but if you can get past that, this is one of the best god games the PC has seen in quite a while. Plus, for those of you with terribly decrepit PCs (and we know you're out there), the low system requirements of the game will undoubtedly be a bonus.

None of that, of course, should be taken as anything more than constructive criticism. They are, rather, the kinds of minor annoyances that keep an otherwise excellent title from moving into the "outstanding" category. Taken as a whole, Tropico 2: Pirate Cove is the kind of great sequel that should be encouraged - it builds on the solid base of the original, cleans up most of the problems and manages to stake out its own territory in the process. Tropico 2 is a (parrot) feather in the cap of Frog City and a treasure for strategy gamers.

From one Tropico fan to hopefully another, I can honestly say that I was pleased with how Tropico 2: Pirate Cove turned out. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the subject matter or historical period, as it is brimming with atmosphere. Those of you who just didn't get Tropico's appeal will probably dismiss this excellent title, and that's a shame. Tropico retains its status as one of the most unique series in computer gaming. I can only imagine where the third iteration will take us.

I personally miss the island leader plots of the original game, but Tropico 2 proves even dastardly pirates can be a lot of fun under the hot island sun. Enough new upgrades help enhance the gameplay and create the perfect title for PC gamers who want something similar to SimCity 4 without having to spend a week studying the instruction manual learning how to play. It also brings humorous Sims-style gaming into the mix. Tropico 2 is a wonderful game worth its weight in buried golden treasure.

Strategic simulations can be a delight or a ragged bore, and we’ve seen an explosion of the latter over the last year. Somehow, the word must have gotten around that this kind of game was an easy way to make a fortune; and just as with RTS and Diablo clones, we’ve been inundated with dreary wannabes that show little understanding of the genre and absolutely no imagination. Airport Tycoon 2? Car Tycoon? Ski Resort Tycoon? Rock Manager? May they all rest in peace; and if they won’t, I’ll be among the first to bring a stake and a little holy water.

So, overall, Tropico 2: Pirate Cove is a nice game with sort of a serious problem. It looks good and sounds good and is fun and breezy to play, but it also gets repetitive after several missions, and it doesn’t offer the kind of variety other tycoon games do. Of course, Tropico itself didn’t really capture my interest, even with all the options it presented, and so fans of that game or fans of pirates in general might have fun with Pirate Cove.

We are closing in on the conclusion, and I hope you’ve concluded that I quite like this game. If you know that one mission can take up to several hours, then you know that there’s nothing wrong with the length of the game (a common illness amongst games these days). The game is also very addictive, as you will notice very quickly when it appears that behind the drapes, the sun is already rising, and you are still building! Even if you’ve finished the campaigns, there is an editor to make your own perfect island, or just play one of the standalone missions. Are you a fan of sun, sea and buildinggames like settlers, then dust of your parrot (the real one), attach your wooden leg and cutthroat the software merchant to obtain your treasure box with two blinking cd’s! To end with the words on the back of the box: Argh, thar ain't nottin like bein a Pirate King!

As an intellectual toy, Tropico 2 is fascinating and detailed; as a game, it’s enormously addictive. Running an island full of slaves and pirates is a unique twist, one that will satisfy anyone who laments the endless catalogue of near-identical RTS titles that the god-game genre has become. It will also annoy the right kind of people, by being morally questionable and technically excellent at the same time. There are problems: It is slow-paced, with your minions carrying out orders at a leisurely rate. The many logistical convolutions that get in the way of a smooth economy can grate, forcing players to keep a close eye on how slave labor is distributed. It’s also repetitive in the long run, and likely to lose its shine once you’ve become attuned to its mysteries. That’s the worst of it, however, so if you like the idea of Maxis meeting Molyneux on the Spanish Main, you’d be insane to miss this release.

80

MacintoshMacworld

Tropico 2 is the kind of simulation-based strategy game that lets you lose hours, if not days, making sure every element of your empire runs well. If the idea of being a Pirate King appeals to you, make sure to check it out.

Until recently, aside from the previously mentioned puffy shirt, it was a veritable impossibility to find even a taste of pirate life. Luckily, the pirate lads and wenches at MacSoft have released Tropico 2: Pirate Cove (T2:PC); a game of pirate intrigue, rum, women and stolen booty. Yet, does ruling a vast pirate empire equate to fun Mac gaming? The only way to find out is to read on. Arrrr, matey!

For those looking for a city-building game with a difference, Pirate Cove is a great new addition. It's got a genuinely new take on the genre, but the strategy (i.e. keep everyone "satisfied") isn't all that different. You'll enjoy the new perspective, the new buildings, and learning the strategies. But for those who want a game with the thrill of swashing your buckles against the Spanish Silver fleet, the game may leave you high and dry. You create, arm and man your fleet, but once you send them off to plunder, you lose control over them (other than selecting their mission type and offensive stance). Like the rest of the game, you plan as well as you can, and react to the results. Still, I loved the game's elegant interface that still allowed me access to lots of complex information. And like the original Tropico, T2PC was a lot of fun, with it's bouncy island music and whimsical attitude.

I've had a lot of fun with this game, and have enjoyed building my pirate kingdom while listening to some great music. The initial gameplay is varied and amusing, and will keep players busy for awhile. However, the depth of play after several days isn't quite as deep as games such as Warcraft, HOMM, Caesar 3 and Civilization. Still, a worthy entry into the simulation/strategy world for players who are looking for something a little different and who are not bothered by the brothel theme.

In summary, there's really nothing else to say about Tropico 2: Pirate Cove. For those of you who are expecting radical changes or improvements over the original, it's safe to say you'll be slightly disappointed. Nonetheless, if you have enjoyed the previous two titles, this one could keep your attention for some time. There's no doubt that the game puts forth well-oiled gameplay dynamics and a revised economic system that appears to have done the trick. The key to success is stirring up your population growth and looking after the best interest of your community, taking care of your citizens both individually and collectively. In short if you're worried about not having any challenges, you can stop worrying, cause there will be plenty of things for you to do.

It can be fun to get your town up and running and send your pirates out on raids, and learning to balance the diverse requirements of your captives and your pirates is interesting. But fans of Tropico may wish that Frog City had developed a more direct descendant of the original--the mechanics are basically the same, but Tropico 2 is a very different game. And those who like the pirate theme may wish that Frog City had built a new game from scratch, instead of tying itself to the Tropico blueprint. It's a shaky marriage either way, with the pirate game and the town management game constantly fighting for dominance.

Developer Frog City should be commended for trying to make Tropico 2 different from the original. Unfortunately, some of the new features just aren’t all that fun despite the appeal of creating a swashbuckling pirate empire.

60

MacintoshmacHOME

Worst of all, the pirates seem like a thin wrapper over the island strategy elements. We'd hoped for interactive ship life; after all, we're no scurvy land lubbers. However, instead, making a few general choices about where to sail and what to do was the only booty to be found.

While the idea is interesting enough, the game's reliance on lumber before you can really do anything does border on the frustrating and annoying. Even on the very fast setting game setting it took some time to collect lumber with three timber yards and three saw mills so we could start building stuff. Bar that, the game will keep you going as you try to balance the job of looking after a workforce always looking to escape and a population always looking for the next pint of beer and lady to go with.